There are few actors who've had a greater run of big recurring roles than Mark Pellegrino. He was Rita's ex on Dexter, Jacob on Lost, Lucifer on Supernatural and the powerful vampire Bishop on the U.S. remake of Being Human. Now Mark Pellegrino can add one more role to that list: The Closer.

According to TVGuide, Pellegrino will have a recurring role on the upcoming final season of TNT's The Closer
as lawyer Gavin Barker, who the show's creator James Duff described as
"brisk, gay and formidable." You might think a lawyer might be Brenda's
greatest foe, but actually, he's her greatest ally.

In the final season, one of the major storylines revolves around Brenda and the police department being sued by the mother of a murdered gang member. Fans will definitely remember the season 6 episode "War Zone," in which a gang member received full immunity and then revealed that he'd murdered two people. Brenda was so distraught over giving immunity to a murderer that she dropped him off at his house, knowing that his gang would almost certainly murder him. The final shot of that episode, with Brenda being driven off as the gang circled their prey, was truly unforgettable.

But now that case comes back to haunt her, and it's up to Pellegrino's lawyer to save her. It might be the beginning of the end, however, since it is the last season and the show will transition into a spin-off, Major Crimes, starring Mary McDonnell as Captain Raydor (who is thankfully promoted to a series regular for the final season).

The Closer's seventh season premieres Monday, July 11 at 9pm on TNT and will be split into three separate runs, meaning it won't actually end until next summer.